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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has received vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an infection.

The lioness was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a campaign by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The surgery was carried out on last week by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the broken tooth was severely infected," stated the dentist.

He thought the infection was caused by a trauma experienced more than a year ago, leading to germs producing harmful substances within the fang.

"The approach I follow is animal dental problems should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

Briony Smith, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "total triumph."

She noted the staff had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to determine "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

The successful surgery represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.